An Ayrshire Para athlete collected her 7th world record in Framerunning- but will next week turn her attention to even more success in a completely different sport.
Maybole’s Kayleigh Haggo travelled south to compete in the Coventry Spring Meeting at the University of Warwick track, where she set a new world record for the T72 100m Framerunning classification.
She actually broke the world record, then broke it again, going quicker than her qualifying heat to win in 19.30 (0.8).
Framerunning is an adapted sport for children, young people and adults who cannot functionally run and rely on sports aids for mobility and balance.
A Framerunner is a three wheeled frame where the athlete is supported by a saddle and body plate.
The former Carrick Academy pupil now adds the new record to her already burgeoning list of achievements which includes world records in other classifications of the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m and 5000m events.
However, she is now hard at work on a different sports discipline- as she prepares to represent the Great Britain Boccia team in the Montreal World Cup.
Kayleigh will be joined by fellow Ayrshire athlete - and GB Paralympic star - Jamie McCowan, of Dundonald.
Jamie, 28, will take part in the BC3 Male event, while Kayleigh will contest the BC2 Female competition and take part in the BC1/2 Team event.
It’s been a rapid rise for Kayleigh to get to this point, as she only took up boccia for the first time around 14 months ago.
Now she will travel out to Canada with the GB team on Saturday, as they prepare to battle for the main prizes.
Kayleigh said: “I’m really excited to be going to my first World Cup.
“The top 10 female BC2 players in the world will be there and, to be honest, I still can’t believe I’m going to be competing amongst the best in the world after just 14 months in the sport.
“I also can’t wait to be part of the team competition alongside Claire Taggart and David Smith.”
Kayleigh lifted the lid on how she manages to juggle competing in two different sports and added: “I do juggle both sports pretty well.
“They both complement each other, which is good.
“After breaking a new world record at the weekend, I now need to reset and shift my focus to Montreal.”
Jamie also makes it back on court with Mum and ramp assistant, Linda.
It will be the first tournament of the season for the BC3 duo.
Jamie said: “It’s great to be going back to Montreal. It’s a venue where I made my international debut back in 2008 when I was just 13.
“It’s a place with good memories of previous medal success too.”
Kayleigh and Jamie are part of an eight-strong GB team aiming for success in Canada next week with the tournament set to welcome more than 100 athletes from 28 nations.
Boccia UK Performance Director Greg Baker said: “We’re a small but ambitious squad and we plan to keep putting Boccia UK on the map.”
The event runs from Monday, April 24 to Sunday, April 320 at the Arena Maurice-Richard.
Boccia is a precision sport, like bowls and petanque, for athletes with severe physical disabilities.
It has been a Paralympic sport since the 1984 games in Los Angeles.
The Boccia UK squad for Montreal is as follows: (BC1 Male) David Smith (Sarah Nolan), BC2 Female Claire Taggart (Stevie Taggart), BC2 Female Kayleigh Haggo (Kevin Brown), BC3 Male Jamie McCowan (Linda McCowan), BC3 Male Will Arnott (Connor Wellfare), BC3 Female Robyn McBride (Davy McBride), BC4 Male Stephen McGuire (Michaela Rihackova), BC4 Female Fiona Muirhead (Nicky McNeil).
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